Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala : IHCC

"Potluck" is this week's theme at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), where we are cooking from Madhur Jaffrey's recipes. I made Hard Boiled Eggs Masala last week to eat with the Naan Bread from my previous MJ's post.

This Eggs Masala is very easy to make. A very nice dish, even though I find it a little sour. Next time I am going to omit the lemon juice altogether. As usual, I have increased the spices and since it was only for my hubby and myself, I have added more chilli powder for added kick.

There was some leftover,  and I had it with some white rice. I think it goes much better with the rice than the bread.

And of course, lots of chopped cilantro for me!

Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala with Naan Bread

Please do stop by IHCC to see what the others are bringing for the Potluck!

Hard-Boiled Eggs Masala
(adapted from : food.com, Madhur Jaffrey)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (2 tsp chilli powder)
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric (1 tsp)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (2 tsp)
1 teaspoon ground coriander (2 tsp)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt (to taste)
fresh ground pepper, to taste (1/4 tsp)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon  cumin seeds (1 tsp)
5 tablespoons onions, peeled and finely chopped (2 medium)
1 tablespooon fresh ginger, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped (1 can)
1/4 teaspoon sugar (to taste)
3-4 tablespoons fresh cilantro
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into halves lengthwise

1. Combine turmeric, cayenne, ground cumin, coriander, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl. Mix.
2. Put oil in medium-sized, nonstick pan and set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, put in cumin seeds, 10 seconds later, add onion and ginger.
3. Stir and fry till onion turns medium brown.
4. Add spice paste.
5. Stir and cook for 15 seconds.
6. Add tomatoes and sugar and bring to a simmer.
7. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
8. Add cilantro. Stir once or twice.
9. Lay the cut eggs into the sauce and spoon over more sauce over them. Cover and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes.

What's In My Cookie Jar? : Ginger Crackles - ABC Dec 2012

I have not made any cookies in ages! I wanted to, many times, but some other bakes always takes precedence over cookies. Avid Baker's Challenge bake for December 2012 is just perfect, cookies! We are baking Ginger Crackles, from this fabulous book, it is now one of my favourite baking book, The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge. And this is the last bake from this book, at ABC. For the past 12 months we have baked 12 recipes from The Weekend Baker, ranging from breads, cakes, pies and tarts to cookies, and each one has been fantastic! I really like Abby Dodge's recipes, though I find that she uses lots of sugar in all of her bakes. And I have always reduced the sugar in her recipes and all have turned out great. Even though this is the last bake for this year from this book over at ABC, it would not be the last one for me, there are lots of other recipes that I am looking forward to try.

What's In My Cookie Jar?
Ginger Crackles !!

These Ginger Crackles are rather chewy, with cake-like moist texture on the inside with a light crisp crust. According to Abby and from the picture cover of the book (my book is of a different picture cover), these cookies have tops that are ridged with beautiful cracks. As you can see from my cookies above, they do not really crack.

There are a few cracked lines on top, but only just a few. These cookies are packed with spice flavours. The spices used are ground ginger, ground cloves and ground cinnamon. Light molasses is one of the ingredients, but I have used dark molasses as that was what I had.  Of course, as usual, I have reduced the amount of sugar, by cutting it to half a cup, from the original 1 cup. The sweetnesss turns out just right for us. Could it be, this is the reason that these cookies are not cracking up well enough? 

How did these cookies fare with the family? Both my kids love it while these are still slightly warm, when the texture is still soft, chewy and moist with a crispy crust, and they had it with a glass of cold milk. These cookies are full of  wonderful spice flavour. I rather enjoyed these too while the cookies are still warm, but overall, I'm a "crispy cookie" person! 

Please do visit Avid Baker's Challenge (ABC) to see my friends Ginger Crackles, their cookies have beautiful lovely cracks.

Here's a recap, of the bakes that I've baked from "The Weekend Baker" by Abigail Johnson Dodge, together with my baking friends at ABC :

Dec : Ginger Crackles

 Nov : Velvety Pumpkin Tart

Oct : Honey Oatmeal Bread

Sept : Mile-High Vanilla Sponge Cake

Aug : Glazed Mango-Mulberry Galette

Jul : Classic Fruit Tart

June : Brioche

May : Choc Chip Scones

Apr : Buttery Pull-Apart Dinner Rolls

Mar : Emergency Blender Cupcakes

Feb : Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Jan : Chocolate Banana Swirl Cake

Which is my favourite? I like them all, but the one that stands out the most is definitely the Brioche for me! 

Starting in January 2013, Avid Baker's Challenge will be baking from King Arthur Flour's website. ABC will bake once a month, you are most welcome to join us, please do contact Hanaa for the full details.

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon and Breadcrumbs

Made this last month actually, for my kids after school lunch. They came home from school, surprised and very happy to see their lunch for the day, spaghetti is one of their very favourite, they do not seem to get tired of eating spaghetti every so often! Found this recipe from the wonderful Martha Stewart's website, what can I say, this is a winner alright, even I enjoyed it! 

The recipe calls for tuna chunks in water, but I have always prefer tuna chunks in oil, so I have used that instead. And the delicious part is the breadcrumbs. I used two slices of homemade whole wheat bread that I have in my freezer to make the breadcrumbs. Very nice. The breadcrumbs adds a wonderful taste to this spaghetti dish. 

I like all the other ingredients that are used. Instead of Kalamata olives, which are very expensive, I use the regular olives which I think is good enough for this meal. Do not omit the lemon zest, it makes the dish smells incredibly nice and goes well with the tuna. I only use less than 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, adjust to your liking. And I love the parsley, I added more parlsey to my plate. I have some yellow cherry tomatoes, and added that as well. Of course, make sure the dish is well seasoned with salt and black pepper. We love lots of black pepper.

This is one delicious and satisfying lunch!

I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star, where the featured chef for this month is Martha Stewart, an event organized by Zoe of Bake from Happy Kids and co-hosted together with Baby Sumo from Eat Your Heart Out and Riceball from Riceball Eats.


I'm also sharing this with :
Recipe Box hosted by Bizzy Bakes
Full Plate Thursday hosted by Miz Helen's Country Cottage
See Ya In The Gumbo hosted by Ms. enPlace



Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon and Breadcrumbs
(adapted from marthastewart.com)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 pound spaghetti
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons slivered Kalamata olives
2 cans (6 ounces each) chunk light tuna in water, drained

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse bead and 1 teaspoon oil until coarse crumbs form. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet, season with salt and pepper. Bake until golden, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, drain pasta, and return to pot. Add lemon zest and juice, parsley, olives and 1 tablespoon oil, toss, adding enough pasta water to coat. Add tuna; toss gently. Serve sprinkled with breadcrumbs.